Cheezer and Louzer

This CNET article lists the Top Ten Web Fads, supossobly. Can you think of any gems they missed?

I’m sitting in my 16th floor room at the Doubletree Orlando around 5:00, watching a really cool thunder and lightning storm outside my windows. The flashes are really close – close enough to make this California native nervous. Of course I brought my digi cam all the way out here only to find the batteries are worn down. Dammit. Today’s work with (top secret) went well and I think liked our presentation. I don’t like doing Sales role stuff like we did today, but at least I was the tag-along, not the presenter for most of the day.

I’m going to go eat dinner and continually pray this doesn’t mess up my flight outta this place tomorrow morning…

Flying to Orlando today, first class. I know … I know …. Laaaaa-Deeeee-Daaaaaaa. I think everyone should get this kind of treatment all the time. It’s too bad the airlines treat us like cattle most of the time. These short trips that take three days and a few thousand miles are not my idea of fun but the wine and the warm hand towels I get in first class are helping ease my discomfort.

I’m back in CA on Thursday, just in time for us to go camping in the hills of Ramona this weekend. The adoption is moving along, the tall tower of forms getting knocked down slowly but surely. I forgot to make my passport appt on the way out the door today so I’ll have to do that as soon as I get home.

What are you all up to these days? Leave a comment, tell us all about it.

I’m a bit freaked out this week due to the misspelling of my name on my birth certificate. Hopefully it won’t matter to the Chinese government. CCAI and Adoption Options don’t think it’s a big deal, but say it should be explained in the Home Study. When I called to get an appointment for a passport, I was told it probably wouldn’t matter but “… bring 4 or 5 documents with the proper spelling of my name that are older than 5 years”. So, more rooting around in old documents. Unfortunately, I have gone through and shredded a TON of old documents we no longer need – “why are we keeping these anyway?”. The good part is that I know where most of the stuff I’m keeping is stored.
Trying to coordinate the paper chase is a part-time job. I estimate I spend about 5 hours each week reviewing requirements, and another 5 preparing and organizing, notarizing, copying and FedEx’ing. As I told Beth, our home study social worker – compared to the money, time, heartbreak of fertility treatments – this paperwork is nothing!

Kim received this link this week via a parent’s group at Yahoo. It shows what the matching room is like at the Chinese agency called China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA):

CCAA Pictures

They receive the dossiers from parents overseas and then find a child in China to match those parents with. From the number of dossiers visible in these pics, it’s no wonder the process takes so long.

We just did our first Home Visit with Beth from Adoption Options. It went very well and we’re on our way now to making ready all of the forms and other things they require in the dossier.

There are new pics in the Album from last weekend, if you missed Jamie’s welcome home party.

Our Home Visit is this coming Tuesday. We’re working to clean up the house and make sure it’s clear that we are good parents. We also just repainted our Master bathroom and have made some other adjustments. One drag about this is that slowly but surely the office is becoming the baby’s room. I have noone to blame for this but myself, since I’ve ignored Kim’s repeated requests for a bigger house. Having a fourth bedroom would be really nice, but have you seen the prices of other houses around here? :-O

In case you don’t know how this works, our Home Study agency (Adoption Options) sends someone to our house to check us out and meet us in person. They will ask a thousand questions, even though they have the forms from us already, and check out the house. They want to see if the place is safe and clean. That’s all very appropriate since we’re asking them to trust us with a little bundle of baby soon.

Wish us luck.